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God
That than which no greater can be thought The definition of God '(as it was agreed to in the famous Coppleston/Russell debate) -- "that being, immaterial, of which nothing greater can be imagined." 'Characteristics We can’t physically see God. If we could see the glory of God and know our own sinfulness, we would have no choice but to follow God out of fear. You can't love someone as a result of fear. And so God gives us the ability to make our own choices, to respond to him out of our own will or to reject him out of hand. That's the only way our love for him can be genuine. See Also... *Image of God *Voice of God 'Names of God' All capitals LORD is an English way to translate a Jewish term for God that is not pronounceable in English, the tetragammon, the name of God. The rough transliteration of the letters from Hebrew to English would read YHWH. Not an easy thing to say, with no vowels. 'Omniscience of God' We see three dimensions; up/down, left/right, and forward/back. To see those three dimensions we have to live in a fourth. God lives outside of time thus making him omniscient. Regardless, God doesn't see what you will do. He sees what you did, what you will do, and what you are doing, all at the same time. He is aware of all of those things even as he is creating the universe and winding it down. There cannot be any sequencing of events where God is concerned. It all occurs all at once. But even so ... if we ignore this and put God in a four-dimensional box that requires him to be subject to time so that he knows what you will do before you do it, he does not make us do anything. Do not confuse foreknowledge with control. The two are not the same. If I know that the Publisher's Clearing House van is in front of your house, I can know what you're going to do very soon. I can expect that you'll be very happy. I can know that you're going to jump up and down. I can even be reasonably sure that you will pay off bills and buy a new car in the near future. But my foreknowledge of what you are going to do is not what is responsible for you doing those things, is it? I'm not making you buy that car and pay those bills, even though I knew you were going to, am I? Foreknowledge, even if that's what God has, does not mean that God controls you or that your decisions are carved in stone already. See Also... *Free Will 'Does God Care?' Of course. If he's all-knowing, then he knew you were going to be born, knew who you were, who your parents were and more. If he's all-knowing, then he could have prevented your birth. Thus, you can only exist by an express act of his permissive will. 'Glory to God' God is glorified when miraculous cures occur. God is glorified when circumstances cause us to seek him out and trust him so that we can know him for eternity. God is glorified when people's lives are changed for the good. Glory to God isn't about God being made to feel great. It's about people being changed for all of eternity when they come to know who God is. 'Needing God' When you think you're master of your life, when you're wealthy and successful and on top of the world, you tend to not feel like you need anything or anyone else. It's the hubris of youth. But God is available for the tempted and the tried. He comforts and he guides. He sanctifies and he saves. 'Can God Make A Rock So Big That He Can't Lift It?' God cannot do anything that's logically impossible. The problem with this oft-repeated paradox is that it attempts to apply rules of the natural world (mass, gravity, etc.) to God, who is not bound by those rules. What's more, the paradox itself is silly. Where does one stand when they're trying to lift such a huge rock? The only option is an even larger rock! Anything smaller, and the smaller rock would be gravitationally pulled "up" to the larger one. You MUST stand on something, otherwise there's no lifting, just a rock and empty space. This paradox attempts to assign physical attributes to God which he doesn't possess (physical strength) and attempts to put him in the natural world where he doesn't live. The whole thing is just absurd. 'Related Topics' *Answering Prayers *Creation of God *Emotions *God is a Killer *Voice of God *Will of God Category:Dr. Bobisms